Home Birth Photography | Angelica and Michael | A Love Story

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share a different kind of love story… the kind that begins on a dark, rainy night… anticipation has been building for nine months until, finally, she feels the familiar pangs of labor beginning. The midwife is called and the tub is filled… and so begins the waiting game. At first the contractions are bearable and the excitement of baby’s arrival outweighs the strength of the pain… but slowly, with the ebb and flow of each passing contraction, the need for support becomes evident.

And he is there, by her side… he holds her hands and offers the words she needs, the encouragement and reminder that soon they will meet their little one. Each contraction brings them closer…

She knows this, and she knows that he is her rock, her strength when she is weak. While she is capable of doing this alone, she can’t imagine being anywhere but by his side. Just knowing he is close is enough to make the next contraction bearable.

And the waiting continues throughout the night. The midwife arrives and the doulas are there to offer their support when it’s needed.  The pain is stronger but never totally unbearable… and when she worries it will never end, he reassures her that it’s almost time.

And then it happens… in a moment everything transitions from dilating to pushing and baby is ready to enter this world. His hands are in the water and he transforms from the husband of yesterday and the coach of last night to the one who is ready to welcome baby into the world… and as she pushes, he guides the little one and helps the baby out of the water. The room holds a collective breath as through tearful eyes he announces proudly, “It’s a girl!”

And she couldn’t love him more. And he couldn’t love her more… but his heart is growing in a way he never anticipated, for now he has a daughter.

And he realizes that there is another lady in his life… she is tiny and perfect and everything he imagined and more.

And while mother and baby sleeps, he can’t take his eyes off either one of them…

And he wonders, how on earth did he ever live without this girl in his life?

Congratulations, Michael and Angelica. It was my honor to photograph your daughter’s birth.

(If you would like to read a fun newspaper article about home birth featuring the midwife and doulas from this birth, check out this article)